Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We are a government that has been elected and then re-elected with a commitment to take action on climate change—and we are, we have and we will. We are taking action at home domestically. We're seeking to transform one of the most emissions-intensive economies in the world to an economy that will thrive and prosper in a net zero global economy. That's the task that we are engaging in. That is not just with Minister Bowen but also the work of the Treasurer, the finance minister, Minister Ayres and many others. They are geared to ensuring not only that we act because of the imperative now; there's an economic imperative, which is that we want to be able to ensure that we can sell goods and services into a global economy which is a net zero economy. We're serious about that.

We also recognise the nature of the transition. Like the Greens political party—and you and I have had this conversation previously—we know that you don't just flick a switch, and we know that we have ambitious targets. We know there have to be more ambitious targets for 2035. Clearly, if you're going to get to 2050, you need to continue that trajectory. We'll take the advice of the authority and an appropriate, responsible target will be set by the government, as Minister Bowen and the Prime Minister have outlined.